The Big Wedding
by bitofasavingpeoplething
Summary: Dudley receives an unexpected invitation by Owl Post. Unfinished. Disclaimer: I am not J.K. Rowling, and do not claim to be. I know that the 4th chapter is very short, but my idea of it was as a linking piece taking the reader from the wedding to the reception. Stay tuned to see who and what else Dudley has the pleasure of encountering as the evening progresses!
1. Chapter 1

Dudley Dursley had nearly choked on a spoonful of applesauce when he caught sight of a large tawny owl tapping its talons impatiently against his dining room window. That's what he deserved, he thought ruefully, for snagging a bit of his infant daughter's breakfast as he fed her before his morning commute. When he had first heard the infernal noise, he had assumed it was that ruddy neighbor kid again, who was always coming over, _using the back entrance_, to sell something-or-other for a school fundraiser. Instead, he was greeted with a sight that he hadn't been privy to since his childhood. A sight that could only mean, well, _Harry_.

Trembling as he recalled letters shooting from fireplaces and sliding through mail slots, Dudley opened the window and took the gold and scarlet-embossed envelope. The only words on the front read "Mr. Dudley Dursley, 546 Wondell Rd, Muggle Britain." That strange word, now a distant memory from many years ago-what did it mean again? Dudley could never remember the few details of the wizarding world that Harry had been obligated to share with his family when they were both boys. Often Dudley wished that he had paid a little more to the words Harry had said and a little less to the food that had constantly been sitting in front of him.

Dudley opened the envelope with trepidation. To his surprise, two silvery-blue, ethereal blurs of light burst from within its depths. As he watched, they each transformed, one into what seemed to be a horse, and the other…a stag? The figures, each only about a foot high, galloped in midair first towards each other and then together into the distance, eventually fading into mist before disappearing completely. Dudley shook his head frantically. Oh, how he wished he could convince himself that it was just a trick of the light! He plunged his hand into the envelope and pulled out the letter it contained as fast as he could. He began to read the ornate (expensive-looking!) piece of parchment:

Harry James Potter and Ginevra Molly Weasley

Request the honor of your presence

As they are joined in glorious matrimony

On the evening of July 31st, at 5 o'clock

At The Burrow, Ottery St. Catchpole, Devon.

The ceremony will be followed by a reception.

Send your response promptly, and please, feed the owl who delivered this message to you.

A period of rest might be owed to it as well.

Thank you.

A note was scribbled near the bottom of the invitation.

_Dudley - Sorry that I couldn't include a plus one. I had to get approval from the Minister of Magic in order to invite you, and he only agreed because he knows that you are well aware of the existence of magic. As I wasn't sure how much of your knowledge you have shared with Verona, I wasn't able to convince him to allow her to come as well. It's strange; really, from his strict behavior one almost wouldn't realize that he and I are close personal friends. Regardless, I hope that you can make it. –Harry._

Dudley didn't see this as a problem at all. Due to a fear of insane asylums and (he shuddered at the thought) threats of divorce, Dudley had never been able to bring himself to telling his wife, Verona, the truth about his cousin. Her and Harry had met, of course, at Dudley and Verona's wedding two years prior, which now that Dudley thought about it, had been the last time he had laid eyes on his cousin.

Harry's arm had been around his guest, a red-haired, spirited-looking girl. Had that been (Dudley squinted to read the name again) Ginevra? He wasn't sure. The entire day had been a blur of well-wishers and white linen. He did remember, though, that when Harry answered Verona's inquiry as to his profession with "Police Officer," the girl had let out a quiet giggle before biting her lip culpably. And when Verona had directed the same question to her, she had briefly coughed before saying "Professional athlete. Er…soccer." When he, Dudley, had asked what position she played, she simply had said "Oh, you know, all sorts," before flashing the newlyweds a brilliant smile and walking away on Harry's arm.

Later, Verona had admitted to Dudley that she had found the interaction to be quite strange. In response, Dudley had assured her that if she knew Harry like he did, she would have understood. Indeed, she would, yet, it was still a risk that Dudley was unprepared to take.

Now, Dudley placed the invitation back on the table and resolved that he would have to attend. It was only polite, wasn't it? After Harry had attended Dudley's wedding despite the horrible bullying that he had suffered at his hands as a boy? There really, thought Dudley, was no proper way that he could get out of this one.

Exactly 7 months later, Dudley impatiently looked at his watch as he paced the foyer of his house. Although he had been told that one of Harry's other guests would collect him and take him to the wedding, he had no idea when to expect them, or what they looked like. Around 1 p.m., he answered the door and was quite surprised to see Dedalus Diggle on his front step, looking quite as spry as he had the last time the two had seen each other nearly 10 years ago.

"Young Mr. Dursley," the old wizard said as he swept off his top hat. "What a wonderful pleasure it is to see you again on this extraordinarily happy day! Now, if you are quite prepared for us to depart, follow me, and let's make haste!"

Dudley was actually quite pleased that Dedalus was his accompanier; the two had formed, if not a friendship, than an amicable alliance during Dudley's and his parents' year in hiding. Observing Dudley's boredom, Dedalus had taken to teaching Dudley how to play a few wizard board games, ignoring Dudley's late father's insistences that his son not be exposed to any sort magic. Dudley smiled as he remembered him and Dedalus sharing a chuckle as strict old Hestia had goo squirted in her eye by a marble in a game called, of all things, Gobstones.

Today, Dedalus led Dudley on a long walk to an abandoned cornfield, where to Dudley's surprise Dedalus pulled a contraption that looked a little like an old fashioned broom from inside his long, bulky cloak. Dudley vaguely remembered Harry carrying one that looked a bit like it when the family once picked him up from King's Cross station, but with shame he realized that this was yet another mystery that he had never asked Harry about.

"Well then, time to be off, Mr. Dursley," said Dedalus. "If you will kindly climb on behind me, there we go, and take a tight hold of my waist. All set? Okay. Here we go!"

With a start, the broom, Dedalus, and Dudley all began to rise slowly into the air. Dudley clutched the small wizard's back with all his might as he watched the ground, and eventually the treetops, grow smaller beneath him.

"Won't-won't people see us?" He asked, his knuckles turning white.

"Nothing at all to worry about on that regard!" Dedalus chimed. "By the time we are over any Muggle dwellings, we will be so high in the air we will surely be mistaken for a large, oddly formed bird."

"Sorry, Mr. Diggle, but what does that Mug-Mugwump-Mubble-whatever word mean again?"

"Muggle? Why, Mr. Dursley, that's you, of course!"

So, together they soared across the British countryside for the better part of three hours, Dudley occasionally feeling as though he was about to lose his breakfast all over the other "Muggles" going about their daily lives thousands of feet below.

A little while after they had landed, Dudley stared up at the seemingly unbalanced, precariously tipping house that stood in front of him, blinking in the harsh light of the sun as he tried to catch sight of the house's top turret. Dedalus had gone into the house a few minutes prior, warning Dudley to remain outside and muttering something about a strange clock, dishes that washed themselves and the fact that Dudley had already undergone "too much of a shock for an entire Muggle lifetime." Through a window, Dudley could see a few red haired people moving inside, already dressed for the wedding. A tall, long-nosed man caught sight of Dudley standing in the garden.

"Oi, Dedalus!" The red-head called into the house. "You didn't tell us you'd left Harry's cousin standing outside!"

A few seconds later the front door burst open and the same man hurried out, his formal vest flapping open in the wind as he thrust out his hand and said, "Nice to see you again. I'm Ron." Dudley looked around himself in shock, sure that the man in front of him was mistaking him for someone else.

"We-we've met?" He asked with genuine surprise.

"Well-yeah." Ron grinned sheepishly. "Remember when your fireplace was destroyed and you received a few very unwelcome visitors into your living room?"

Dudley roared with laughter. Yes, he remembered it all right. His father had been angry enough to blow up a building of his own. Then he remembered what had happened next-he had bitten a single toffee and felt his tongue swell to such great girth that it practically choked him. At this memory, Dudley abruptly stopped laughing and made a mental note not to eat any sweets at this wedding unless he saw another guest eat it as well. Ron, who had turned eager at Dudley's laughter, noticed this change in Harry's cousin's expression.

"Right, then. Sorry about that, mate. Anyway, all in the past, right?" Dudley nodded.

"We're all glad you could make it," Ron plowed on. "After all, I guess you're my family's guest just as much as you are Harry's, right?" Dudley looked up in confusion, but before he could ask the question that had suddenly sprang to his lips, a woman with curly brown hair stuck her head out of a (could it really be the fourth floor?) window.

"Ron!" she called with urgency. "There you are, I've looked everywhere! Please, go make sure that Harry has got his tie done properly, he is simply hopeless at doing it with magic and I'm already helping Ginny plait her hair! Oh, there is still so much to be done!" With one last wring of her hands, the girl disappeared from the window.

Ron looked back at Dudley and gestured towards the window from which the girl had made her plea. "Women, eh?" He said. Dudley could tell that the voice with which Ron had said this last bit was meant to sound exasperated, but it contained obvious notes of adoration and contentment. "You're married, right? Listen, sorry that she couldn't come as well; we just couldn't risk breaching the International Statute of Secrecy, what with Harry's new promotion and whatnot. 'Course, I don't think I'd last a minute in the Muggle world without Hermione by my side, so I feel for you mate. Anyway, gotta go, you heard the woman. Let's talk more later."

With a final friendly slap on the arm, Ron was gone. Just as soon as the front door slammed behind him, it opened again to reveal Dedalus, who had now shed his traveling cloak and sported long robes of deep purple. "Ready to claim our seats, Dudley?" He asked conversationally. "I do hope that treacle tart is served for dinner, don't you?"


	2. Chapter 2

Dudley followed Dedalus to the backyard and marveled at the large golden tent that suddenly came into view. Through his shoe, he felt his right foot move from soft grass onto something rounded and smooth. Looking down, he realized that a stepping-stone path had materialized in front of him. Each stone was a luminescent gold and engraved with statements wishing the soon-to-be husband and wife well. Dudley spied the words "Cheers, Harry and Ginny! Yours, Lee Jordan," written largely on a stone beneath his left foot. In front of him, one displayed the message "Sending all of my love from the South of France, where I have discovered a new breed of flobberworm. May your happiness last as long as their mucus sticks to my personal belongings, which is to say, forever. ~Rolf Scamander."

Next to Dudley, an identical path had appeared in front of Dedalus, guiding him to the tent as well. His eyes brimming with tears, Dedalus beamed at his Muggle companion. "Simply beautiful, isn't it?" He asked. "What a marvelous display! Would you like to make a contribution?"

"M-me?" Dudley stammered. He was still trying to decide on what to say Harry in person when they would see each other after the wedding! What on earth kind of message could he leave for the couple to see as they walked towards the rest of their lives?

"Don't worry, Mr. Dursley," said Dedalus kindly, falsely believing that Dudley's hesitancy stemmed from shame of not knowing how to participate in the rite. "I will help you through it. First I will say a few words, and then I will point my wand at your mouth. When I do that, please say your message."

Before Dudley had a chance to refuse, Dedalus had pulled out his wand. He seemed to make a lasso-like motion in midair as he proclaimed "inscripto egoceterum!" As promised, he pointed the tip of his wand toward Dudley's mouth. Dudley looked down at the twisted piece of wood in fear. He cleared his throat.

"Congrats, Harry and Ginny. Happy to share this with you. From, Cousin Dudley."

He affirmed the end of his statement with a nod to Dedalus, who now pointed the wand towards himself.

"May your love never be tempered and may your friendship grow stronger every day. A mountain of congratulations from your always faithful friend, Dedalus Diggle."

"Er…right, then," said Dudley awkwardly. "What now?"

After a final flourish of his wand, Dedalus gestured back to golden path. Right before Dudley's eyes, the words etched themselves onto a previously blank stone. On Dedalus' path, the same process was occurring.

"Now, Mr. Dursley, shall we continue down this path towards the true contentment that only manifests itself in seeing those we love become very, very, happy?"

Quite at a loss for a response, Dudley followed Dedalus towards the tent. More people had begun to arrive. They seemed to materialize out of thin air, creating no disturbance to the other guests besides a quiet popping noise. About 20 feet to his left, a family of six spun onto the ground from some unseen place in the sky, all clutching an old steering wheel. Dudley felt like shrieking out of fright. All around him, people were greeting each other, embracing, sharing congratulations. Every single person's face was outfitted with a glowing smile. Their expressions seemed to communicate that they had been anticipating this event for a very long time, and that finally, all of their hopes were coming to fruition.

Amazed by this scene, Dudley clumsily walked into Dedalus, who had suddenly halted in front of him. In front of the entrance to the tent stood a scarlet-draped table which held numerous picture frames of various sizes and shapes. In the air above the table, the words "In Memoriam" were being written in silver script. As soon as the last letter was written, the phrase erased itself and the writing began again. The first frame which Dudley saw contained a picture of a couple dancing. There was something special about it-he could almost see the couple waltzing across the grassy hill on which they were standing. Or…maybe he actually _could_ see that.

He took another long hard look at the photograph, but now the placard on the top of the frame caught his eye. This was his aunt and uncle, James and Lily Potter? Dudley couldn't believe it. Only now he realized that he had never seen a picture, had barely even heard the names, of his mother's sister and her husband. He took a final glance at the picture. Even though he knew them to be dead, their happiness and love shined through the magical photo like a beacon for hope. Suddenly, Dudley wished very much that he had been able to know James and Lily.

Dudley moved on to the other picture frames. There was a very old man with a long white beard, who seemed to be winking at him, his eyes twinkling; a woman with a heart-shaped face and short hair that changed from blue to pink as she squeezed her eyes shut; and most curiously, an angry looking man with greasy black hair who, although frame was placed directly next to that of James and Lily, seemed to be looking sideways into it with an air of contempt and disgust. He began to examine a photo of a redheaded young man whom he was positive had been the owner of the fateful toffee so many years ago.

"Excuse me, Dudley."

Dudley turned around and gasped. Standing behind him was the exact man whose picture he had just seen.

"Arghhh!" He cried. Could ghosts truly be real? The man laughed darkly.

"Couldn't resist, old champ, sorry. Saw you looking at Fred's picture and thought that the best possible tribute that I could give my twin would be to completely throw you into a tizzy at the sight of him returning from the dead."

Dudley could feel his face, no, his entire body turning red. Now that he wasn't scared out of his wits, he noticed that the man standing in front of him looked slightly older and more worn than the one in the picture. His hair was also longer in front, almost as if he was self-conscious about his ears.

"I-I'm so sorry," Dudley began. For his mistake? For the man's loss? He didn't know what to say.

"Not a problem at all," the man said, winking. "You've provided me with a story that will surely entertain every guest at this wedding. Except for my mother, of course…I'd better not tell her…."

A dark look crossed his face, but he soon forced it away.

"Anyways, enjoy yourself, Dudley, okay?" He started to walk away before he turned back, a memory bringing a smile to his face. "Oi, Dursley! Glad to see that your tongue is back to normal!" With a final chuckle, he was gone.

Dedalus, who had witnessed the exchange, shook his head in exasperation. He turned back to the table for one final glance.

"So young," he said before pausing dramatically. "To have suffered so much loss, at the hands of such unspeakable evil."

Dudley quite agreed. It seemed that the couple had more dead friends than he had live ones. He was still very in the dark about what evil had stripped so many people from them, but somehow, this didn't seem like the proper time to be asking such sad questions.

"If you're ready, Mr. Dursley…?" Dedalus inquired. "Well then, after you!"

He gestured towards the tent's flap with his purple top hat. Taking a deep breath, Dudley stepped inside. For the second time in only a few minutes, he gasped, this time with amazement and delight. The first shocking thing he noticed was that the tent seemed much, much bigger inside than he had guessed while in the yard. Lining the aisle and the sides of the tent were the most beautiful, bountiful rose bushes that Dudley had ever seen. The roses themselves were different shades of red, and seemed to sway in the breeze despite the absence of wind. Yellow canaries chirped in tune up in the tent's rafters, which now that he looked properly seemed to be about 20 feet above his head. From the outside, the tent had seemed normal sized, even petite. Dudley, an average-sized man, had needed to duck his head to come inside. Now, he had no doubt that the tallest man on earth could stretch comfortably within the tent's walls.

He followed Dedalus to a pair of empty chairs in the seventh row and sank down into the plush of the seat. The tent's walls were covered in frames as well, but these displayed pictures of the couple at different points in their lives and, eventually, their relationship. Dudley noticed with embarrassment that there were many pictures of Ginevra as a young girl, but almost none of Harry. His soon-to-be wife had pictures showing her as a newborn, taking her first steps, posing in front of a train with a troupe of uniformed red-haired boys, and engaging in many other youthful pursuits. The only picture of Harry's childhood, however, was him as a toddler, zooming around on a miniature broomstick as his father chased him and his mother laughed in the corner.

After Harry hit adolescence, though, there were suddenly almost as many pictures of him as there were of Ginny. Most, Dudley noted, seemed to include the Ron fellow whom he had met in the yard and the brunette girl who had stuck her head out of the window. The three of them stood at King's Cross station wearing school uniforms; they laughed at Christmastime while a gnome-like angel tree-topper seemed to glare at them; they flew around on broomsticks, Ginny now accompanying them; the two couples danced happily at what must have been a prior family wedding. Most of the pictures, Dudley now realized, seemed to have been taken in the very yard that he had just been standing in.

He was about to ask Dedalus about this when a murmur went through the crowd and the canaries stopped their songs. An ornate organ near the front of the tent had begun to play a beautiful waltz all of its own accord. Dedalus leaned in towards Dudley.

"My dear sir, you are in for a marvelous treat. The wedding begins!"


	3. Chapter 3

A smattering of cheers and applause went through the crowd as Harry entered the tent from a hidden side door, accompanied by a very old, tufty haired wizard whom Dudley assumed was the marriage officiant. The two of them took their places underneath an ornate, golden archway that matched the frames on the tent's walls and twinkled as if stars were embedded in its carvings. Harry, Dudley noticed, was beaming, but in a forced sort of way. His fidgeting fingers and the way he kept clenching his fists together communicated his true emotion: nervousness.

Dudley turned his attention to the back of the tent, where a middle-aged woman and four men that had to be her sons had begun to walk down the aisle. The hair of all four men was like that of their mother, a bright, blazing reddish-orange. The oldest wore it long. His face was scarred heavily on one side, but the way he carried himself communicated to all present that this disfigurement didn't hurt his self-confidence in the slightest. Another of the men, tall like the eldest, wore horn-rimmed glasses and walked in a very pompous way. With them was the man whom had accosted Dudley by the memorial, whom Dudley now noticed had only one ear, and one other who was shorter and stockier than his brothers. The family progressed down the aisle, beaming and waving at various friends in the crowd. Dudley tapped Dedalus on the shoulder.

"Sorry, Mr. Diggle," he said, as quietly as he could. "But who are they?"

Dedalus gasped.

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Dursley, I must have forgotten!" The man pulled an old looking bit of parchment from deep within his purple robes. "Miss Granger instructed me to give this directly to you, for your aid and understanding."

Before Dudley could ask who Miss Granger was, cursive writing began to spread across the paper he had just taken from Dedalus' hand. It said, 'The Weasley Family: Molly, Bill, Charlie, Percy, and George.' Underneath each name was a small drawing depicting each person. Although the scratchy, stick figure-like graphics resembled children's doodles, Dudley was clearly able to tell which name corresponded with which member of the family.

Suddenly the pictures and text disappeared. Dudley glanced back at the aisle and realized that the Weasleys had sat down. Next, a blonde toddler, no more than four years old, began to make her way down the aisle. At the sight of her, Dudley was instantly reminded of fairy stories that he heard as a boy. The girl seemed to glide rather than walk; she also emitted a sort of glow about her as she gracefully tossed red rose petals and gold glitter onto the previously unadorned white canvas that stretched from the entrance of the tent to the archway where Harry stood. Dudley looked at the page. 'Victoire Weasley, niece of Ginny,' it read.

The next person down the aisle was a young boy. He was about five years old and looked to be on the verge of giggling. In his outstretched palms he held a golden box which Dudley assumed to be carrying the rings. He handed the box to Harry, who patted him on the head fondly before kneeling to give him a hug. As the boy walked to his seat, he looked at Victoire and squeezed his eyes shut. Dudley was astonished as, just like the short-haired woman in the picture outside, the boy's hair turned from brown to a shocking neon purple. Both children giggled, and one of Ginny's brothers, sitting nearby, had to turn to quiet them. This time, the paper read 'Teddy Lupin, Godson of Harry.'

A thirty-something, dark skinned girl wearing a mid-length golden dress now emerged in the tent flap. From the widened eyes and frantic whispers of his neighbors, Dudley surmised that the girl was very well-known among the wizarding community.

"My word! But isn't that Gwenog Jones?!"

The gray-haired witch sitting to the right of him had whispered this in his ear. He glanced down at the paper. Sure enough, that was the name of the woman about to walk down the aisle. Why she had elicited this excited reaction from the crowd was still a mystery to him, however. He turned to the witch again, who, unlike Dedalus, didn't seem as fully concentrated on the aisle.

"Is this, er, Gwenog quite famous with your lot?"

"My lot?!" She responded indignantly. "If by 'my lot' you mean Quidditch fans, then yes she is, I'll have you know. She's only the best player the Holyhead Harpies has ever seen! With Ginny signing on as Chaser this year, the Montrose Magpies will have no chance at winning the League Cup. Really, I'd trouble you to show me a Wizard Chess player who is accomplished as either Gwenog or Ginny! 'My lot!' Really!"

The witch said this all in a very accusatory tone of voice, and Dudley wisely chose not to press the matter further, realizing that she thought him to have said something very offensive. He did gather from this exchange, however, that Ginny was an accomplished athlete, and the woman at the beginning of the rose-lined path was a teammate of hers. Also worth nothing, he realized with surprise, was that the woman next to him had assumed that he was a wizard.

Gwenog had begun walking down the aisle when she stopped and turned back toward the tent flap, waiting, Dudley presumed, for the groomsman who would be accompanying her. The holdup seemed to be that he, whoever he was, wasn't able to get through the entrance and into the tent. The man, who seemed to be quite tall, had to curl himself almost into a ball in order to pass underneath the low-hanging fold.

When the man straightened up, Dudley's hand immediately jumped to his lower back to assure himself that no curly appendage had sprung from there. He didn't need to consult the parchment in his hand to know who this ginormous, hairy-faced man was. It was the Keeper of the Keys, the haunter of Dudley's nightmares. However, in contrast to the frightening, intimidating image that Dudley had always associated with him, tears were streaming down his face. Dudley watched in amazement as Gwenog Jones handed a handkerchief to the great old brute, took his hand, and led him down the aisle. The colossal man enveloped Harry in what looked to be a bone-crushing hug. Harry patted the man's elbow and smiled at him thankfully as the man went to stand a few feet behind him.

The next couple made their way down the aisle, a brown-haired, slightly pudgy man and an ethereal blonde woman. Dudley glanced back down at the parchment, which now showed the names and cartoons of 'Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood.' The woman wore a wide yellow sash that clashed terribly with her gold bridesmaid's dress and large earrings that were shaped like suns. Her proclivity for energetic colors seemed to have transmitted to her companion as well. Unlike the other males who had walked down the aisle, his bow tie was yellow rather than black. The uncomfortable look on his face told Dudley that the man, Neville, had most likely agreed to this alteration against his better judgment. Neville clapped Harry on the back and shook his hand, while Luna bestowed upon him a beautiful smile and a wink before taking her position in front of Gwenog.

Neville left only a small amount of space between himself and Harry, signaling to Dudley that only one more couple would make their way down the aisle before the bride. Looking again at the pictures which decorated the walls, Dudley thought he had a pretty good idea who these last two people would be. Sure enough, Ron and the brunette girl were now taking their places at the entrance to the tent. Dudley looked down at the paper once more.

So this girl walking down the aisle on Ron's arm was Miss Granger, Hermione Granger, in fact, the creator of this guide which had been so helpful! Dudley felt that he truly owed her a great thanks for this lifesaving little piece of parchment. Of course, that would have to wait until later. And Ron was another Weasley, Ginny's brother, which explained his comment earlier about Dudley being a guest of his family. Dudley shook his head, amazed at his own failure to realize that all these similarly-hued gingers were related to on another. Ron and Hermione smiled hugely at Harry as they made their way towards him, Hermione's eyes sparkling with tears. At the sight of them and their unwavering grins, Harry's plastered smile transformed into something much more natural. They both embraced him before taking their respective places as Best Man and Maid of Honor.

Now was the time for the main event, and Dudley watched Harry's smile become etched into his face once more. Soon, however, Harry's eyebrows lifted and a dream-like look came into his eyes. Dudley knew, without even turning around, that Ginny had entered the tent.

Her dress was sleeveless with a bodice embroidered with what seemed to be the finest and most vibrant golden thread ever manufactured. The stitching was close together and covered the entirety of the dress' top, yet slightly different golden hues showed that the embroidery was actually hundreds of tiny stars, each touching the next, forming a sort of celestial daisy chain. From the bodice flowed a simple white skirt made of an airy material that stopped just before the ground. Pieces of her red hair were intricately braided around the crown of her head, underneath an ancient-looking tiara, while other curls fell loose around her shoulders. Her smile was even more brilliantly blinding than the last time Dudley had saw her, and unlike Harry, she projected perfect confidence and contentment.

Her father, with whom she had walked with towards the archway, beamed through his tears. Hugging first Harry, then Ginny, he took each of their hands and placed them one on top of the other. The hands clasped together immediately.

Harry looked at their joined hands in wonderment, and Dudley knew that at that moment Harry wasn't thinking about all of the trouble he had faced in his short life or even his many loved ones who hadn't lived to see this happy day. He seemed to be looking at Ginny's hand, but in reality, he was looking into the future. He was seeing all of the promises and possibilities that awaited them, the new adventures that he couldn't wait to begin. The officiant cleared his throat, and Harry looked up, his face now alight with the excitement of a man truly in love.


	4. Chapter 4

Dudley sat up a bit straighter in his seat as the tufty-haired wizard began the ceremony. Keen to see how this wedding would differ from those he was accustomed to, and for that matter, his own, Dudley listened carefully to the officiant's sing-song voice. Dudley was equal parts disappointed and relieved when he realized that the wedding ceremony was proceeding almost identically to all of the other weddings he had ever attended. And it was for the best, Dudley thought. After all, he wasn't sure how many more surprises he could handle, and he knew that many more would be in store at the reception later that evening.

Dudley didn't have to wait for the end of the ceremony for more shocking developments, however. There was an hour of normalcy, during which the officiant talked about the couple, recited a poem about love's everlasting gifts, and asked if there were any opposers to the union. Then, however, during the ring exchange, a most surprising thing happened. Little Teddy Lupin toddled back up to the archway, still carrying the small golden box. The officiant accepted the box with a smile and turned it so that the lid's hinge was nearest to him and the top would open towards the crowd. When he opened it, golden wisps of smoke flew out.

Soon, the smoke organized itself into the same luminescent figures that had erupted from the invitation that Dudley had received so many months ago, only this time, they were gold and life-size. The horse and stag cantered in separate directions around the inside of the tent. After both had completed one loop, the figures met at the same spot at the back of the tent from which Ginny and the rest of the wedding party had started their journeys down the aisle. From there the two animals walked together towards the couple, the guests nearest to them gasping and cooing and trying to pet the animals as they walked by.

The stag walked to Harry, who patted its antlers; the horse, to Ginny, who stroked her companion's mane. The two animals leaned in towards each other, as if they were humans about to kiss. Then, they pointed their heads down to the couple's four entwined hands. Suddenly, the animals disappeared, and Harry and Ginny raised their left hands, beaming. The room erupted into cheers and applause as the guests realized that a simple gold band had formed around the fourth finger of each of the lifted hands.

Dudley had been surprised by this occurrence, but then again, he suffered shock every time he witnessed magic being performed. This display, however, seemed to take all of the other guests off guard as well. Dudley could only conclude that it was a never-before seen, freshly invented bit of magic. What individual had so much power and creativity, he wondered, that he or she could astound every learned witch and wizard in the room, which was probably over at least a hundred and fifty people?

Harry and Ginny exchanged their first married kiss. After the officiant said a few final words to conclude the wedding, the couple ran back down the aisle gleefully. Both of their faces shared the look of a child on Christmas morning; Dudley, of course, had never seen such a look on Harry's face on the Christmases that they had spent together as boys. Guests on both sides of the aisle stood up, still cheering, and waved at the happy couple. The wedding party followed, their steps much more refined but their smiles no less bright. Finally, the guests started to file out of the tent. Next to Dudley, Dedalus sighed with delight.

"Now, wasn't that ceremony most extremely special, Mr. Dursley?" He said, placing his top hat back onto his head. "Most special indeed, the grandest wedding I've ever seen, in fact. I was a guest of the Minister of Magic all the way back in 1975, and I never thought I would see one more impressive. Now, he married a half-veela, so of course the décor was impeccable, but of course it didn't have the _personal _side that this one truly exemplified…"

Dedalus continued to tell stories of the wonderful weddings he had attended in his long lifetime as he and Dudley walked outside. They were the last guests to leave the tent and join the large crowd standing in the spacious yard. Once they had passed through the entryway, Dudley heard a loud shout on all sides of "_Rionify_!" The walls of the tent disappeared, along with the bushes that had lined its perimeter and aisle. A gold dance floor spread out over the grass on which their chairs had rested, and tables began to dot the tent's interior. A stage sprang up on one end, and band members appeared out of thin air, lugging heavy-looking instruments into the tent. It was time for the reception.


End file.
